Saturday, May 05, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
I visited Texas and lived to tell the tale :)
So all last week I was down in Texas visiting Colin and Kristin for their wedding. I got into Austin on Saturday the 21st mid-morning. I stopped over, saw their new apartment, settled in a bit and then we went to lunch. The next day we went to the Salt Lick BBQ which had fantastic Texas style BBQ. It's kind of funny how BBQ means different things in different parts of the country.
As Monday rolled around, doing fun things slowly took a back burner to wedding tasks and we started taking care of all those last minute things that needed doing. Julian (the best man) came in on Monday night. We spent Tuesday doing more errands as well as stopping into Kristin's goodbye party at the school she teaches at. Throughout all this it was made clear to me by Colin, Kristin and Kristin's parents that I needed to get a good pair of boots before I left so I got a pair of Tony Lama black leather cowboy boots and I have to say they look damn good and are actually quite comfortable.
On Wednesday we headed out to Barton Springs to do some swimming and take a well needed break from wedding tasks. Barton Springs Julian and I went out to the farm and helped set things up, cleaned up a few things, did some edging, filled in some holes, trimmed some branches, and cleared some brush. Altogether a good time working on the farm getting it ready for the reception.
Thursday we headed back to Austin to do some last minute tasks and then get ready for the Bachelor party which was a TON of fun. My only regret is that I had chosen that day to break in my boots and by the end of it my feet were very sore. We ended up walking up and down 6th Street to visit all the clubs and bars. I'd tell you more, but what happens at a bachelor party, stays there. :) All you need to know is that there was drinking and the bachelor survived to make it to the wedding and the bride still decided to marry him. I think that makes for a successful bachelor party.
Friday was a bit rough, moreso from lack of sleep than hangover. I went to bed around 3:30 am and woke up at 8 am. From the hotel we were staying at we headed up to Kristin's house, I showered, changed and headed into Fayetteville. We stopped at the hotel, did some final setup for the Friday night party and headed out to the rehearsal luncheon in New Ulm. It was a great time and they even had sushi on the buffet. As an usher I got a wonderful gift of a framed picture of Colin and Kristin that they took from shortly after they got engaged. After the luncheon we went to the church and walked through the whole procedure. For a short time I was even going to lead the procession and carry the cross to the alter. I got subbed out when it seemed I may have to sing during the procession. With the rehearsal over we went back to the hotel, worked out final details again for the party and then just waited to start having a good time. I decided to go to bed early so my voice would be in good order the next day for the actual wedding. All of the men in the wedding party were staying at a house two doors down from the hotel and that lead to more drinking and loudness for the rest of the night there. Thankfully I slept through most of it, although I was woken several times. *shrug* Oh well.
Saturday I woke up early, had some breakfast and started helping with final touches at the farm. I got back from the farm, showered, changed into my tux and headed to the church for a little past 12:30 to go over the service music as well as the Ave Maria with the rest of the trio. We got evertyhing all set, including some last minute changes in the music and then waited for it all to start at 3pm.
Colin and Kristin both looked great. Kristin was just a site to behold in her dress and Colin looked as handsome as ever. They are going to have some beautiful children. The service was a full Catholic mass so we had the prelude, then the processional, then the first reading, then I sang the psalm, then the second reading, then the gospel and homily, then the marriage rites, then communion, then the Ave Maria during the meditation, then closing and finally the recessional.
As the bride and groom processed out of the church one of the other guests and I rang the church bells. Once the couple had gone back around to the sacristy the guests all went outside and waited below the small entrance balcony to have the bride and groom presented to them. Instead of rice or bubbles, they opted to have a butterfly release for this wedding, it was very pretty. The happy couple then went to their waiting horse and carriage to take them to the farm for the reception. Throughout all of this utnil they got to the carriage, we maintained the bells. The whole thing was just gorgeous.
The reception was wonderful and I had a great time dancing the night away. I managed to steal several dances with the bride and watching her and Colin dance was just breathtaking (they both are highly skilled ballroom dancers).
All in all it was a great time and I really enjoyed the week down there. I was sad to have to leave on Sunday when it was all over. I can't wait to go back and visit the new Mr. and Mrs.
Well that's everything.
Oh yeah, one more thing. I caught the garter. *grin*
As Monday rolled around, doing fun things slowly took a back burner to wedding tasks and we started taking care of all those last minute things that needed doing. Julian (the best man) came in on Monday night. We spent Tuesday doing more errands as well as stopping into Kristin's goodbye party at the school she teaches at. Throughout all this it was made clear to me by Colin, Kristin and Kristin's parents that I needed to get a good pair of boots before I left so I got a pair of Tony Lama black leather cowboy boots and I have to say they look damn good and are actually quite comfortable.
On Wednesday we headed out to Barton Springs to do some swimming and take a well needed break from wedding tasks. Barton Springs Julian and I went out to the farm and helped set things up, cleaned up a few things, did some edging, filled in some holes, trimmed some branches, and cleared some brush. Altogether a good time working on the farm getting it ready for the reception.
Thursday we headed back to Austin to do some last minute tasks and then get ready for the Bachelor party which was a TON of fun. My only regret is that I had chosen that day to break in my boots and by the end of it my feet were very sore. We ended up walking up and down 6th Street to visit all the clubs and bars. I'd tell you more, but what happens at a bachelor party, stays there. :) All you need to know is that there was drinking and the bachelor survived to make it to the wedding and the bride still decided to marry him. I think that makes for a successful bachelor party.
Friday was a bit rough, moreso from lack of sleep than hangover. I went to bed around 3:30 am and woke up at 8 am. From the hotel we were staying at we headed up to Kristin's house, I showered, changed and headed into Fayetteville. We stopped at the hotel, did some final setup for the Friday night party and headed out to the rehearsal luncheon in New Ulm. It was a great time and they even had sushi on the buffet. As an usher I got a wonderful gift of a framed picture of Colin and Kristin that they took from shortly after they got engaged. After the luncheon we went to the church and walked through the whole procedure. For a short time I was even going to lead the procession and carry the cross to the alter. I got subbed out when it seemed I may have to sing during the procession. With the rehearsal over we went back to the hotel, worked out final details again for the party and then just waited to start having a good time. I decided to go to bed early so my voice would be in good order the next day for the actual wedding. All of the men in the wedding party were staying at a house two doors down from the hotel and that lead to more drinking and loudness for the rest of the night there. Thankfully I slept through most of it, although I was woken several times. *shrug* Oh well.
Saturday I woke up early, had some breakfast and started helping with final touches at the farm. I got back from the farm, showered, changed into my tux and headed to the church for a little past 12:30 to go over the service music as well as the Ave Maria with the rest of the trio. We got evertyhing all set, including some last minute changes in the music and then waited for it all to start at 3pm.
Colin and Kristin both looked great. Kristin was just a site to behold in her dress and Colin looked as handsome as ever. They are going to have some beautiful children. The service was a full Catholic mass so we had the prelude, then the processional, then the first reading, then I sang the psalm, then the second reading, then the gospel and homily, then the marriage rites, then communion, then the Ave Maria during the meditation, then closing and finally the recessional.
As the bride and groom processed out of the church one of the other guests and I rang the church bells. Once the couple had gone back around to the sacristy the guests all went outside and waited below the small entrance balcony to have the bride and groom presented to them. Instead of rice or bubbles, they opted to have a butterfly release for this wedding, it was very pretty. The happy couple then went to their waiting horse and carriage to take them to the farm for the reception. Throughout all of this utnil they got to the carriage, we maintained the bells. The whole thing was just gorgeous.
The reception was wonderful and I had a great time dancing the night away. I managed to steal several dances with the bride and watching her and Colin dance was just breathtaking (they both are highly skilled ballroom dancers).
All in all it was a great time and I really enjoyed the week down there. I was sad to have to leave on Sunday when it was all over. I can't wait to go back and visit the new Mr. and Mrs.
Well that's everything.
Oh yeah, one more thing. I caught the garter. *grin*
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Measure twice, cut once
So I get to go in for a bit of surgery this summer, specifically on May 21. I have a small cyst that I need to get removed. The surgery will require at least a week out of work for recovery then possibly another 3 weeks before I'm fully recovered.
The fun part is going to be doing absolutely nothing and being in pain for a week before I can return to work and start driving again and probably still be in pain.
I've scheduled the surgury and will be getting confirmation on the date of the pre-op checkup soon. I've also take the week after the surgery off as sick time and the following week off as vacation time so I should be fairly recovered before going back to work.
Ahh, a summer full of fun and excitement!
The fun part is going to be doing absolutely nothing and being in pain for a week before I can return to work and start driving again and probably still be in pain.
I've scheduled the surgury and will be getting confirmation on the date of the pre-op checkup soon. I've also take the week after the surgery off as sick time and the following week off as vacation time so I should be fairly recovered before going back to work.
Ahh, a summer full of fun and excitement!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
It's a gay, gay, gay world :)
I nearly fell out of my chair laughing with this article called Gay people, give me back my stuff! Take a read of it and I hope you find it amusing too.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Things are looking up
So lots of good news lately. As of June 1 I have a full year long roommate. This should work out well. She's the girlfriend of a friend of mine and she's an undergraduate at WPI. Potentially if things go well she'll be able to stay for more than a year which will leave me in a much more stable position than I've recently had.
Also good news is that I recently got a fairly nice raise. I've recently changed my responsibilities and work-load at work and taken on some fairly mission critical systems. This raise reflected that.
What this translates to is that I should be able to save a down payment for a new car, build up a cash reserve (in addition to the car savings), and actually spend money on a few things that I've been needing/wanting lately. The plan is to adjust my direct deposits so that the difference between my current salary and my salary effective July 1 gets put directly into my savings so that I don't get used to the increase. Additionally I'll be putting most of the rent into savings too.
I'll also be getting a new computer for the first time in about 8 years. I was lucky enough to get my Dad's old one a few years back but the time has come to get a new high end computer. After all, what does it say about an IT professional when his comptuer is almost 6 years old. It's soooo slow and barely keeps up with things any more.
I'm looking forward to being able to spend money as needed now and STILL be able to save a large portion of money.
Also good news is that I recently got a fairly nice raise. I've recently changed my responsibilities and work-load at work and taken on some fairly mission critical systems. This raise reflected that.
What this translates to is that I should be able to save a down payment for a new car, build up a cash reserve (in addition to the car savings), and actually spend money on a few things that I've been needing/wanting lately. The plan is to adjust my direct deposits so that the difference between my current salary and my salary effective July 1 gets put directly into my savings so that I don't get used to the increase. Additionally I'll be putting most of the rent into savings too.
I'll also be getting a new computer for the first time in about 8 years. I was lucky enough to get my Dad's old one a few years back but the time has come to get a new high end computer. After all, what does it say about an IT professional when his comptuer is almost 6 years old. It's soooo slow and barely keeps up with things any more.
I'm looking forward to being able to spend money as needed now and STILL be able to save a large portion of money.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Milestones
As of last Saturday I have officially been a homeowner for a full year. I closed my condo on March 24, 2006. As of yesterday I have been actually living in the condo for a year.
Additionally as of last October 22, 2006 I have worked at WPI for 5 years. On August 23, 2007 I will have lived in Worcester for 10 years.
It's amazing how major milestones seem to creep up on you.
Additionally as of last October 22, 2006 I have worked at WPI for 5 years. On August 23, 2007 I will have lived in Worcester for 10 years.
It's amazing how major milestones seem to creep up on you.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Spring is in the air
It's not really here yet, but the weather is finally getting warmer and I've had the opportunity to leave my windows open today to get some fresh air into the condo.
I had a bit of a birthday bash yesterday and it was a lot of fun. It was great to see everyone including some old friends that I haven't seen in far too long.
Going backwards I've had a pretty good week. I watched "300" with some of the Crow brothers on Friday. I have to see it was far better than I expected it to be. It was a bit on the bloody side but it wasn't as gory or out of line as you'd think it would be with that much blood. The story was well done and the direction of the movie was fantastic. The pacing was very tight and it didn't feel nearly as long as it actually was.
Later that night I had dinner with Pace who made Cider Chicken with Mushroom sauce. It was fantastic. That, coupled with a very nice Chianti (no, Judd, there were no fava beans involved) made for a very nice evening with a friend.
Wednesday through Friday turned into an impromptu movie marathon with Pace. Wednesday we ended up going to Chili's for dinner and during discussion it came up that he'd never seen "Jeffrey" so I insisted he come over and watch it. The next night he came over and had me watch "A Dirty Shame" by John Waters. It was hilarious and fairly well done and there was just something surreal about seeing Selma Blair with watermellon sized breasts and big frizzy blond hair. Friday's movie of choice was "Camp" which is something anyone who's ever done theatre (musical or otherwise) can appreciate. We'll have to think up some additional movies to watch for D term.
Last Sunday I had dinner with Travis and Terence. It was nice to see them again. I made Linguine alla vodka and it was very good. I need to start cooking new things more often. I have found that I very much like to cook.
I definitely need a bit of a vacation. Maybe I'll take a week off in May. I've got 15.5 days left to take. A few long weekends in June, a week off in May or June. We'll see how it turns out. Maybe I'll even take some time in the late summer, go camping or hiking.
I had a bit of a birthday bash yesterday and it was a lot of fun. It was great to see everyone including some old friends that I haven't seen in far too long.
Going backwards I've had a pretty good week. I watched "300" with some of the Crow brothers on Friday. I have to see it was far better than I expected it to be. It was a bit on the bloody side but it wasn't as gory or out of line as you'd think it would be with that much blood. The story was well done and the direction of the movie was fantastic. The pacing was very tight and it didn't feel nearly as long as it actually was.
Later that night I had dinner with Pace who made Cider Chicken with Mushroom sauce. It was fantastic. That, coupled with a very nice Chianti (no, Judd, there were no fava beans involved) made for a very nice evening with a friend.
Wednesday through Friday turned into an impromptu movie marathon with Pace. Wednesday we ended up going to Chili's for dinner and during discussion it came up that he'd never seen "Jeffrey" so I insisted he come over and watch it. The next night he came over and had me watch "A Dirty Shame" by John Waters. It was hilarious and fairly well done and there was just something surreal about seeing Selma Blair with watermellon sized breasts and big frizzy blond hair. Friday's movie of choice was "Camp" which is something anyone who's ever done theatre (musical or otherwise) can appreciate. We'll have to think up some additional movies to watch for D term.
Last Sunday I had dinner with Travis and Terence. It was nice to see them again. I made Linguine alla vodka and it was very good. I need to start cooking new things more often. I have found that I very much like to cook.
I definitely need a bit of a vacation. Maybe I'll take a week off in May. I've got 15.5 days left to take. A few long weekends in June, a week off in May or June. We'll see how it turns out. Maybe I'll even take some time in the late summer, go camping or hiking.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Ann Coulter has reached a new low...
and I really didn't think that was possible.
At the recent American Conservative Union’s Political Action Conference Coulter was speaking and used the term "faggot" to describe Democratic presidential nominee John Edwards. At the same conference last year she used a derogatory term for Arabs.
Before I continue here are some articles on this:
MSN: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17458248?GT1=9145
Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid42507.asp
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYFijV9pOsE
I can't believe that there are people who still listen to this woman. She is a pure hate-monger. Why she would make a joke about the recent situations with Tim Hardaway or Isaiah Washington. If she knew about the situations enough to make the crack that saying "faggot" requires you to go into rehab to spin your image then she should have known that it was also very derisive and inflammatory and that both instances caused great uproar around the country. How exactly does she thing that this kind of talk is acceptable?
At the recent American Conservative Union’s Political Action Conference Coulter was speaking and used the term "faggot" to describe Democratic presidential nominee John Edwards. At the same conference last year she used a derogatory term for Arabs.
Before I continue here are some articles on this:
MSN: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17458248?GT1=9145
Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid42507.asp
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYFijV9pOsE
I can't believe that there are people who still listen to this woman. She is a pure hate-monger. Why she would make a joke about the recent situations with Tim Hardaway or Isaiah Washington. If she knew about the situations enough to make the crack that saying "faggot" requires you to go into rehab to spin your image then she should have known that it was also very derisive and inflammatory and that both instances caused great uproar around the country. How exactly does she thing that this kind of talk is acceptable?
A kiss is just a kiss...
It's funny how you browse the web and you read one article that takes you to another article which takes you to another article, which makes you read something which makes you think about this other thing and then so on. That's pretty much how my mind works in general, kind of a free-association montage. Anyone who's had a long conversation with me can attest to the fact that it can start somewhere and go just about anywhere before it's over and neither me or them will realize we've even left the main topic until much later.
It's in that regard that I was looking up an article, which reminded me of a show, which had someone who played in another show which remdinded me of another show and I decided to look up the actors and what they are playing now. In my travels I came upon a quote from Gale Harold who played Brian Kinney on Queer as Folk.
Over the years, as I've talked with people about being gay, once people get past the basic questions they start getting curious about the finer details. One question I get time and again is "What's the difference between kissing a guy and a girl?" Now, there is definitely a difference but it's never really been something I could define. It was more of a "je ne sais quoi" than anything else. Gale's bio had a quote from an interview he had with Flaunt magazine which answered that very same question. I read his answer and it just clicked that what he was saying was describing the "je ne sais quoi" that I couldn't quite place. And with no further ado...
It's in that regard that I was looking up an article, which reminded me of a show, which had someone who played in another show which remdinded me of another show and I decided to look up the actors and what they are playing now. In my travels I came upon a quote from Gale Harold who played Brian Kinney on Queer as Folk.
Over the years, as I've talked with people about being gay, once people get past the basic questions they start getting curious about the finer details. One question I get time and again is "What's the difference between kissing a guy and a girl?" Now, there is definitely a difference but it's never really been something I could define. It was more of a "je ne sais quoi" than anything else. Gale's bio had a quote from an interview he had with Flaunt magazine which answered that very same question. I read his answer and it just clicked that what he was saying was describing the "je ne sais quoi" that I couldn't quite place. And with no further ado...
Interesting the things you find on the web."Kissing a man...it's more animalistic. There's a primal drive with men and you can feel that the second you start kissing. It's much more visceral than kissing a woman. Women take their time. There's more play. It's not a mad dash to get your rocks off. And kissing men who, even after they've shaved, have the roughest skin. I've got the worst fuckin' burns on my face."
Sunday, March 04, 2007
What's going on
Well it's been a while since the last time I updated. My sister is doing well and I hear that my neice is now 10 lbs. I'm not sure that I'm yet quite at the point of dealing with the fact that I'm an uncle.
I've gotten a temporary roommate so the pressure is off a bit. I still have to find someone starting in June. Hopefully I'll find someone that will stay for a while and that can put some stability back into my finances. Since I got a roommate I've followed through on finally getting my new dining room set. It'll be delivered on Tuesday. It's a counter-height, espresso finish table with 6 chairs. I could describe it further but I'll save you the additional 920 or so words.
I've gotten a temporary roommate so the pressure is off a bit. I still have to find someone starting in June. Hopefully I'll find someone that will stay for a while and that can put some stability back into my finances. Since I got a roommate I've followed through on finally getting my new dining room set. It'll be delivered on Tuesday. It's a counter-height, espresso finish table with 6 chairs. I could describe it further but I'll save you the additional 920 or so words.
Overall, life is going well. I had Travis and Terence up for dinner this evening and it was really nice to reconnect with friends I haven't seen in a while.
Work is going well. I'm still very busy with the new responsibilities but it's a lot of fun doing new things.
I did my taxes this weekend and hopefully I'll get the refund soon. One thing I want to do is buy a new bike and use it in the late spring through the fall to ride to work occasionally and to go biking on the weekends. Should be fun.
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